Content
by Akarashi
Summary: It was raining when I had a fleeting moment of content. Raining when my mother was killed... my father bleeding to death. But not before they gave me a goal, to enable myself to push forward, to continue living. That goal?..The annihilation of Orochimaru.
1. It's My Rainy Goal

DISCLAIMER: I absolutely do not own Naruto

_'italics' - inner thoughts_

_Enjoy :]_

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It's…cold.

Konoha was in the winter season. Since the village nestled deep within the forests, it was constantly raining. Raining in the morning, through the night, through the next day, everyday of every week until the season was over. It was also the season that konoha got very little requests for missions. Therefore, these people, the ones who go about everyday, protecting the village, protecting their homes, protecting their loved ones, got a well deserved break. This was the time for those people to be in the comfort of their own homes, chatting away with their brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, girlfriends, wives…This was the time to appreciate what they have done, how much they have given up, and in return, received the feelings of warmth, contentment, compassion; rekindling the relationships they consider the most important to them, most precious; savoring the moments.

After finishing my homework from Iruka-sensei, I set aside the textbook, resting my jaw on the palm of my left hand, and tilted my head out the window. I watched the rigorous downpour of water colliding against the glass, the constant drumming consuming my mind. Wearing a thin long sleeve shirt and shorts, I shivered lightly, the coldness from the outside drifting inside my room, towards me. I felt as if the coldness was focusing more on me though, like some force tugging the coldness along, guiding it towards my heated body.

Though I had no intention of getting up and putting on another layer of warm clothing. I lay there, resting my body on the comfort of my bed, allowing the coldness to seep into my skin, little goose bumps slowly forming. Though I didn't mind one bit. I preferred the cold more than the heat anyways. It felt like the coldness was engulfing my body, leaving me numb, feeling nothing but…content. Content on how my life was. Of course, being 7 years old I was never exposed to anything to have made me worry, to have lost to mourn for, to fear for…

My body stilled, my breathing stopped, and my eyes were wide open. A scream. A heart-wrenching scream traveling around the house, its' echoed effect finally reaching my room, reaching my little ears. _Mom…?_ Never in my life have I heard such a horrible sound. I felt it, the emotions laced through that scream. _Fear. Anger. Panic._ I forced my body up and off the bed, placing my feet on the wooden floor. Slowly, oh so very slowly, I neared my closed door. Raising my right arm, I cautiously placed my hand on top of the knob_. Oh my god…what's happening? Why did mom scream? Where's dad? Should I go? WHAT IS HAPPENING?_ I didn't turn the knob, I didn't open my door

… _Mom. Dad. Come on, move Sakura. MOVE._

Looking down, I finally took notice. Shaking. Uncontrollably and horrifyingly shaking. My mind finally processed that I. was. SHAKING. My body wanted to convulse, to drop to the ground, and be consumed. Consumed by what? I didn't know, because I didn't know what I was feeling at that moment.

I refused to give in, I had to open my door, I NEEDED to open my door. Denying what my body was trying to do, I was finally able to turn the knob. As I tried to peek out through the opening, I was suddenly shoved away from the door. Staggering to catch my balance, at the corner of my eyes I saw my dad rushing in. _His eyes_. They held the same emotions that were laced in that god forsaken scream. " D-Dad?" I said. Panting my father turned. Fear and confusion rushed into my mind when I took in the form of my father. His pearl hair looked drench.

_Is that…blood?_

Almost two-thirds of his shaggy hair was soaked with the deep color, some sliding down his left eye. His once life filled green eyes, the ones filled with so much love, understanding…was completely lifeless, void of any emotions. My eyes traveling down, I saw his brown shirt was torn, his arms scattered with marks, freshly opened wounds, some deep enough to leak blood out.

Kneeling down, my father placed his callous hands upon my shaking shoulders. "Sakura-chan… Listen very carefully ok sweetie? Nod your head if you understand what I'm telling you." my fathers' hushed voice told me. I nervously nodded once, unable to speak up in fear. Quickly he glanced at the door, cautious as if it would burst open. Turning back to me, he stared right into my eyes finally conveying what had happened, why he was hurt, why mom wasn't here in this room with us, and why he was covered in blood…mom's blood. I started to tear up, blurring my vision of my father quickly, quietly, and gently told me the events that had happened before, during, and after my mother's scream. How the dining room window cracked and broke into millions of shards, spraying out in every direction, some swiping by cutting his arms. _So that's why. _

Orochimaru. One of the three legendary sanin that lived, breathed, and walked on this planet. And with his life he bred fear into the weak hearted, abduction to those he wanted to use, and death to those that posed as an obstacle… We caught his interest.

_Oh my god...OH MY GOD_.

A finger prevented me from gasping out loud, from crying out. Immediately my wide, teary eyes refocused on my father, pursing his slightly parted lips. "Shh Sakura, we don't have much time." he said. He swiftly tugged me towards the navy blue walls, pressing my back fully against the wall, and softly said, "Me ni mienai Jutsu".

Quickly looking down, my skin started to change colors, darker, darker until I was completely blended into the navy blue walls I was pressed against. _Dad…why?_ He seemed to be searching where my eyes would have been, and gave a smile. Not the ones when he would greet me coming home from the academy or in the kitchen when I whined about eating my veggies, not even close to the ones before tucking me into bed. No…this smile wasn't any of those, it was nothing. His smile gave me nothing, nothing to hope for him, or mom…It was empty. It was his face muscles contracting to form a curve on his lips, poorly imitated. "Please Sakura-chan… I- I'm…Stay hidden…".

The door ripped open, the top hinges coming off from the wall, barely being in placed if not for the bottom hinges. Three small screws scattered across my room, one sliding underneath my table, the other near my dad, and the last…at the base of my feet. I held my breath, scared that even my breathing would show that I was indeed here, in my room with my father, that I would be seen. "Ahh so here you are…Shouku. You didn't think you could actually hide did you?" Involuntarily I shivered, holding back a whimper. It was him. HE was here, in my house, in my ROOM.

_No…NO DAD RUN! PLEASE RUN! PLEASE!..Please…What are you doing?_

Why was he just standing there? Dad just firmly stood his ground, not moving an inch as Orochimaru came closer, closer until he was right in my dad's face, hissing out, "Now you know I can't hurt your precious voice Shouku, I'll need them for myself." Reaching forward his ominously pale hand wrapped around dad's throat, a snake revealing itself under his sleeve, entangling its' entire body to restrict my father as a precaution.

He knew... Orochimaru KNEW. How the hell did he know about our clan? For centuries our ability was hidden, away from the grasps of those who sought power, to use us to monopolize the nations. No one knew but the Hokage, ONLY the Hokage…So how did this...hap-

My thoughts were cut short; my logical side was slowly slipping away, away from my control on the matter at hand, to control my emotions. _Wha- Dad _STO_- _I suddenly felt nothing, my body no longer shaking, my quivering lips setting itself in a firm line, arms hanging loosely by my side. I forced my eyes to drift towards the man capable of doing such a thing. _Understanding. _He wanted me to understand, that he was doing this for my own good, to keep me safe, away from the grasps of evil, more specifically, Orochimaru's evil intentions.

"Shit…This is what happens when I waste my time. Damn you Shouku! You would have been extremely useful to me" Orochimaru hissed. My eyes held confusion, but my mind did not process that, I was still being manipulated to feel nothing. I watched as numerous soaked figures stood in a fighting stance, surrounding my father and Orochimaru. They wore white masks; each shaped and carved into a certain animal. Boar. Cat. Dog. Sheep. Lion. Taking a step back, the snake slithered back into Orochimaru's sleeve, while my father's body swung backward, nearly having his back skull impale itself into that tiny screw that fell off the door earlier, if it weren't for the Cat masked figure catching him.

The boar, dog, and sheep figures disappeared along with Orochimaru. Along with his disappearance, my father choked out, "Sa- Sakura. Sweetie it's…okay". The whirlwind of emotions finally came back, he let go on the control, and I endured the rush of emotions filling my body, overflowing, unable to handle it anymore. "KAI!" I screamed out, evidently shocking the remaining two figures who hadn't sensed or believed anyone else was in the room. I stumbled towards my father, my tears freely flowing down my face…I was downright sobbing, crying my heart out. I sunk down on the other side of my father, taking in his form again. It's worse; his wounds have gotten so much worse than I thought they were. Because he was laid back down, his shirt hiked up, revealing a fist wide wound. I could see the deformed skin surrounding it, watching as it tried to clog the open wound, his body desperately fighting to heal. But it wasn't enough, even as the lion figure hovered their hands above my father's wound, a pale green glow emitting struggling to hasten the paste.

"No…no no NO!" I screamed. I don't believe it. I WON'T believe it. "DAD! Please no, stay with me! Keep your eyes open!" I latched my small hands around one of his, bringing it in front of my face, squeezing my eyes shut. Why? Why did he have to suffer for me?It wasn't fair…It wasn't fair at all. "S-Sa…Sakura" my father gasped out. Slowly, he raised the hand I held onto, shifting it to the side, resting his bloody palm against my cheek. I Shivered. He was getting cold. I could feel him slipping, slipping into darkness, slipping into another place unknown, slipping away from me. I pressed my cheek harder against his palm, placing my tiny one over his, forcing it to stay there. I pleaded to him, "Daddy…I love you. Really- I really love you…please…" Each word that slipped through my lips got quieter, weaker.

With the feeling of despair, I was loosing him. I knew I was loosing him and I couldn't do anything about it.

_Why? Why mom? Why dad?...Why me? _

Before he gave in, before he would succumb to the darkness, he breathed out his last words to me, "Sweetie…Mom and I love you very much. Be strong, my precious flower".

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It was raining when the cloaked figures returned, raining as I finally let go of my father's cold, lifeless hand, raining as a small squad cleaned up the mess, erasing evidence, erasing the fact that mom and dad were dead. Later I found out my mother died by poison and suffocation. _Mommy…_ She didn't deserve it. She never deserved to pass on like that, to die in agony. She deserved to live a long life. She was SUPPOSE to live a long, fulfilling life.

Standing by the side of the freshly carved stone, I placed my left hand on top, slightly grazing its' rough rounded edges. "I love you mommy…" I whispered. Raising my right hand, I placed it on top of another, right beside my mother's. "…I love you daddy".

A little girl, standing in between two recently buried graves, head slightly bowed down, her pink bangs obscuring outside viewers into what she was feeling. No child should be by them self. No child should be away from their parents. No child should have to suffer from such sadness…such loneliness. Unfortunately, Haruno Sakura was a child that was forced to be by herself. She was a child devoid of her loving parents. She was a child that would suffer years to come from the sadness… the loneliness.

As Sakura lifted her head up towards the sky, tears glistening down her cheeks, she quietly, but confidently made a vow, a promise, a drive, a goal that would enable her to move- no, PUSH forward. What was it that she vowed? She vowed to train. Train until her body could hold up no longer, train to pass her limits, study and obtain as much needed for her to strive. _For dad. _To be the strongest she can be, physically and mentally.

But she was afraid. She feared she would be consumed by harboring so much hate, not looking forward to the endless days, years of being alone. _For mom. _And so, Sakura also made a life long promise that whenever came a time that she would be able to feeling happiness, to feel alive, to feel that each day would be worth living, she wouldn't pass that chance up. A strained smile formed, curving her lips upwards, slightly opening her mouth to taste her salty tears. But her strained smile was filled to the brim, corner to corner. She smiled, though pained, filled with hope and determination. This would be the drive she would need, so that when the day comes for her to face her fear, her hatred towards another, she'd be able to face the being harboring her fear and hate full on. Ultimately this lead to her final goal: to completely annihilate, destroy, and kill Orochimaru.

But then again, getting sick wasn't her intention to start off the following days. She was outside for who knows how long, just standing, completely drenched from head to toe, smelling like wet grass. Honestly, she couldn't help it... It was still raining.

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Tada~

First chapter done and it only took me...5-6 hours to complete :P

Sorry it takes a while for my mind to form words that lay out what I'm feeling and thinking in a specific moment. Still could do better but mehhh too much detail would be boring yeah? :D

R&R please!


	2. Pillar of Strength

Hello my readers! thanks for waiting for this new chapter~

It's still a work in progress, so my apologies if it isn't clear, but it IS only the second chapter, so hope you still enjoy! :]

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**Pillar of Strength**

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Panting slightly, one of the ANBU figures handed me his canteen. Giving my quiet thanks, I took one swift gulp of water, taking a moment how the chilled liquid glazed down my throat.

Why of all places did the Hokage have to send me here? I mean I thought it would just be a few hours away from Konohagure, but no, he wanted me as far away from harm as possible. So instead of a few hours, it was a few DAYS away, that I would be under the care of the Kazakage, who resides in the village of sand.

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_FLASHBACK_

"Hokage-sama...you wished to see me?" I asked in my little voice. I was starting to dislike my voice. I mean I couldn't help it, but it's just so...weak, so under developed than I would have liked to display myself. So..._high-pitched_. I cringed slightly. I lifted my head after bowing, waiting to see what he wanted to talk about. He laced his tan, wrinkled fingers and rested his chin atop. His eyes locked with mine for what felt like hours, but then broke contact as he shifted his head down. His traditional hat completely hiding his face, giving no hints or indications on what he was thinking. After a long sigh, he stood up from behind his desk, the creaking of wood resounding the office, having him place his palms on top to push himself off. Walking towards one of the windows, he turned his back on me, and said in a low, remorseful voice,

"Sakura-chan...I-I'm sorry for what happened to you...to your parents. You're probably thinking how this could of happened...am I right?"

My eyes closed shut after he said my parents. I know I said I would be strong, but...the wound...the _memory_ was still fresh after all. Taking a few deep breathes to calm myself, I replied, "Hai, Hokage-sama...I just... I thought no one...Weren't you the only one..?" I couldn't finish my sentence, for I was a little scared what would happen if I did. I was basically accusing THE Hokage of leaking information about me...about my family.

I didn't need to finish my sentence though, he caught on, as if he knew the words that wanted to come out. It was completely understandable why I would accuse him, since well... he was the only one, THE ONLY ONE who knew the truth about our clan, the only one who withheld that delicate information and gave us the opportunity to live normal lives, the only one who knew that if word got out that we survived, that we were the only ones to have survived and possess our clan's ability, then there would likely-more than likely- be another war. With another sigh escaping his thin, worn out lips, he turned around, taking a few steps to kneel down to my level and gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm really sorry. I had no reason to believe that there was someone else besides me who knew the truth. I should of...I didn't guard your information well enough dear...". He sighed again. Raising both his hands and resting it upon my shoulders, he explained to me, "The information about you and your family were stored in a room that was at the top of its' security, the highest level of protection possibly given, but...I didn't know...I didn't expect one of _my_ own students to access that information. You see, Sakura-chan, he...". I assumed he was trying to put it in words that a 7 year old would understand, without completely confusing me or showing me the 'reality' of it all. But I was no ordinary 7 year old. Simple words wouldn't corrupt my entire being if that's what he was thinking.

"You mean...Orochimaru?" I whispered. His eyes widen a fraction before lowering his eye lids, as if recollecting memories of the past, of his past. With a short nod, he continued, "Yes, Orochimaru was one of my students. He was the one who got through security and took hold of your information. I'm certain that he wanted to get a hold of some other information entirely different, but I guess he saw yours and well...it caught his interest".

I simply nodded. There wasn't anything for me to say at this point. But at least now I knew the Hokage didn't mean for us to... I stopped my train of thought at that point. Feeling a bit brave, I lifted my tiny right hand and grasps his front rope, to force him to look me in the eyes. _Remorse. Failure. _His eyes showed a lot of emotion the moment our eyes connected. I gave my best smile, although it was partly filled with sadness, and said, " Neh, Hokage-sama. It's okay... You did your best right? I'm sure...I'm certain mommy and daddy aren't mad at you. And I'm not either". Taking one step forward I wrapped my arms around his neck, giving as much feelings into the hug. I didn't want him to be sad. Lowering my arms and taking a step back, he gave a weak smile. With another sigh- he seemed to be doing that a lot- he looked me in the eyes again and stated, "In the mean while, I was thinking of sending you away...of giving you a little vacation for a little while, just to make sure that you're safe. Is that okay Sakura-chan?"

He wanted to make sure I would be safe here, so he had to send me away? I didn't really get it, but the Hokage knew better, so I replied, "Of course Hokage-sama".

_END FLASHBACK_

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So, here I am, three days later, out and about walking in the heat of the desert, towards my 'vacation home'. I thought vacations were a time where one can relax, take time in whatever one was doing, and just enjoy the place where one was, wherever it was. But so far, I was NOT relaxed, the heat created a thin layer of sweat covering my WHOLE body, making my clothes stick to me like an outer, loose skin. It was extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully I wasn't the only one complaining. The two ANBU males who were acting as my escorts were also sweating just as much as me, and I'm sure complaining just as well._ In their minds anyways..._ After that train of thought, both suddenly jolted upright, each taking out a Kunai, going back-to-back in a sense, with me in the center.

"Anyone?" One of them hastily asked the other, scanning the vast area surrounding us. Minutes ticked by before the other ANBU put away his kunai, shaking his head. I'm guessing that meant there was no one. _Weird..._ Although they had both put away their weapons, their stance was still rigid, like they sensed something wrong again. They looked at each other, exchanging silent conversation. I had no idea what they were 'talking' about, but whatever it was it had something to do with me, because both of them looked straight at me. Not behind me to see if there was an enemy, not around me... straight at me.

Blinking a few times, I asked in an agitated voice, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Geez! What is with these people? Their stares were starting to get on my nerves. Of course having a mask totally covered what their expressions were like, but I just had a feeling that creeped me out a bit. Slowly one of them bent down, and asked, "Did you happen to hear anything? Anything unusual before we took out our kunai's?" Going over his words in my mind, I shook my head, indicating I had heard no such thing that they were referring to. "Were you perhaps...thinking of something yourself? Something you thought while walking?" the other asked.

"Um...not really, no." I answered. Confusion filled my eyes as they exchanged another look to each other, and carried on their way towards Suna, with me running to catch up. Now what was that all about? It didn't make sense to me at all, but I didn't think any further or it, because the heat was affecting my stamina, and I just really wanted to get out of the sun.

Three hours passed, and we finally, FINALLY arrived at the entrance of the village. Letting out a sigh of relief, I waited until the ANBU and Suna people finished talking, and one acted as our guide towards the Kazekage's building. Our guide knocked on the door, which I assumed was the Kazekage's office, and gestured us to follow him in. Closing the door behind us, I took in the interior of the office. _Very plain. _It didn't have any contrast at all. No splash of color here or there, just one monotone neutral color that blended in with the rest of the desert...sand. _Figures. _Rolling my eyes just a little, I glanced at the tall, looming figure that had its' back turned to us, gazing outside. One of the ANBU stepped forward and stated, "Kazekage-sama, here is the scroll written by the Hokage himself, explaining the details of this...temporary arrangement".

Turning around, I noticed that his robes were slightly similar to those of the Hokage's, but it still consisted of mostly white, with blue thick lines going down the center of his body, and a blue triangular shape at the top of his hat. What I didn't get was that his entire face was covered, all except his eyes, which for a little girl like me, looked very, very intimidating.

Reading the scroll given to him, he looked down at me, and grumbled out "She'll be placed under the care of my own children then. Baki, escort her to her living quarters, and lay out the rules will you? You are dismissed." The person named Baki bowed, and gestured us to follow him out of the office, into the hallway. "She is now officially under the care of Suna. You two may return back to Konoha and send word when it will be time to bring her home", Said Baki. The two ANBU nodded once, said their short farewell to me, and disappeared in puffs of smoke.

Reaching a hand towards me, Baki said in a soft tone "Well, shall we be off then? I'll show you where you'll be staying for a while". Giving a shy smile, I placed my little one in his palm, and walked out of the Kazakage builing to an adjacent one. It looked exactly the same, just like the ones that I passed from the entrance. Actually...all of the building looked exactly the same, just some where shorter than the rest, which I assumed where shops of some sort, or maybe homes.

Walking through the front door, I was greeted by a more pleasant site. A shoe rack was pushed up against the wall, a few pairs lying on the ground. A long hallway leading to different rooms: spacious kitchen, comfortable living room, 2 guest rooms, one bathroom, and a flight of stairs. _Wow..._ To say that this was a normal home was an understatement on my part. This place was huge!

"Temari! Kankuro! Come down for a moment please". I waited patiently by Baki's side, fidgeting slightly, unsure of how these two people would react.

First to arrive was the girl, who I assumed was Temari. She was clothed in a white and yellow robe, legs dressed with some sort of fishnet stockings, and hair done in four mini pigtails. Her eyes were a strong, solid color: dark brown. I don't think I've ever seen such eyes that held so much in them, that had so much depth. I gave her my best smile, which turned into a sheepish one really, considering I'd have to bother her and the others for a while. While her eyes were a bit wary of my presence, after seeing my sheepish attempt of a smile, her eyes and entire stance seem to relax, and she grinned back at me.

_So far so good_ I thought positively_._

A figure skidded next to Temari, momentarily colliding with her before standing upright. A soft 'tch' escaped her lips before standing silent once again.

"Guys, this is Haruno Sakura, from Konohagure, the village of fire. She was sent here by the Hokage himself and asked us to take care of her for a while. Try not to get into trouble will you?" Baki said. Assuming the last sentence was for me, I replied back, " Hai, Baki-sama". Apparently I said something funny, because right after my sentence, Kankuro snorted-loudly- and Baki shifted his stare towards him, lifting his eyebrow in question. Shrugging it off, he left me alone with the two children of the Kazakage.

Having his side of laughter done, I regarded him quite interested in his choice of...appearance. It was nothing bad really, brown pants, short sleeve brown tee shirt, brown hair, and the same brown eyes as his sister._ So much...brown._ But what caught my attention was what he did to his face.

"Err...Kankuro-san? What's wrong with your face?"

Temari laughed at my question, while Kankuro huffed, agitatedly saying, "There's nothing wrong! It's my face paint!" With that said he stormed off up the stairs, disappearing after a soft 'bang'.

Turning my head towards Temari, I gave her a 'Was it something I said' look, and she just waved it off, saying "Don't worry about it. He just likes to play dress up everyday". I giggled at her comment before she grabbed my hand and led my up the stairs, showing me my room for my stay here in Suna. After unpacking my belongings in my temporary room, I asked her if there was a park that I could go to. Giving me simple directions, "Turn right when you get out, and when you see a market selling cactus, turn left. The park will be ahead". Not wanting to go with me since she was busy with chores, I left on a light jog towards my destination.

It was still very very warm- borderline to hot- in the middle of the day, but it was much better than the heat in the desert. Here at least there were shadows I could walk under. Seeing a group of kids a little way off playing some game with a ball, I headed over to the sandpit, intending to pass my time on the swing. Apparently I caught the attention of the group of kids (Not really surprised though, since my hair stands out like a sore thumb) and one of them shouted at me, "HEYYY! What do you think you are doing?". Pausing and turning to face them, I shouted back, "I'm going to swing". Wrong answer. The 'leader' of the group ran over and tried to push me to the ground. Grasping one of his hands in my left hand, I twisted it, ducked under his arm to arrive at his back, and used my right arm to shove him to the ground instead, with my knee on his back.

"O-Oii!. Get off pinky!" He thrashed violently, but it was in no way benefiting him to escape my grasp. Not paying enough attention though, two of the other kids ganged up on me, effectively pushing me off their leader.

I would say that my defense was getting better considering it has been a few days, but it wasn't enough to defend myself when I was obviously outnumbered. _STOP!_ For a few seconds, the one who was about to hit me stood rigidly, as if there were strings on his limbs tugging him back, preventing further movements at me. I blinked rapidly, lowering my arm that was hovered in front of my face, and silently cursed to myself " Shoot, I wasn't suppose to.." Before I could finish, my attacker blinked a few times, and stuttered out, "Wh-What was...you!" Giving out a shout of frustration, he resumed his attempt to hit me, and I shut my eyes waiting for the impact.

Feeling a shift in the ground beneath me, I felt a few grains of sand falling into my hair. Raising my head, I saw the boys hand was centimeters away from where the top of my head was. A thick bracelet of sand was wrapped around wrist, preventing further movement at me, and I saw as his eyes widen, so much I thought they would pop out any second if he kept that up. "I-It's Gaara!G-Ge-Get away from us monster!" the boy shouted. Feeling the sand around his wrist loosen its' hold, he immediately scurried off with the others, some stumbling to catch up.

"Why..." I questioned out loud. Still on the ground, I turned my head behind me, to see if there was anyone there, and what do you know? There is. A little boy stood there, eyes downcast to the ground beneath him, his flaming red hair ruffling from the slight wind that picked up.

"I...Were you the one who stopped that boy?" I curiously asked. I watched him nod his head, still not looking at me. Maybe he was shy? Eyes softening to this fact, I got up off the ground, dusting sand off my legs that gathered, and walked right up to him, stopping at a distance as to not invade his personal bubble. "Thank you". Shooting his head up to look at me, noticing that my voice was a lot closer than before, he stared. I gave a grateful smile, before staring at him as well. He looked...different.

I would say that anyone having no eyebrows would look downright strange, but for him it didn't matter much. The black circles surrounding his eyes made up for that, bringing all the attention to his eyes when it came to his face. They were a bit lighter than mine, probably jade? Still in the green color category. He had a big forehead too, not as big as mine though.

"Wha-...Aren't you going to run away?" he asked quietly. Tilting my head in confusion, I shook my head. "Why would you say that? You saved me!". I held out my hand to him, and said again, "My name's Sakura. Haruno Sakura. What about you? What's your name?".

I have no idea where I got the confidence to talk so much. But I just had a feeling I needed to be more expressive with him. He looked at my hand, at the invitation of letting him grasp it, letting him touch me. Nervously he clasp his own with mine and said "I'm...Gaara. I'm Sabaku no Gaara".

Sabaku...Sabaku...Now why did that sound so similar. I know I've heard of that somewhere. It's at the tip of my tongue. Oh well, maybe I'll go ask the Kaza-

Widening my eyes in realization, I looked at him and questioned, "You're the Kazakage's son?". Nodding his head, I exclaimed "Wow! I thought he only had two. How come Baki didn't mention your name to me?" It was his turn to tilt his head in confusion. "You know Baki?".

And thus we sat on the swings, moving back and forth slightly, me telling him how I met Baki, coming here from Konohagure. He was silent for the longest time, before he said in his quiet voice yet again, "So you don't know what I am...That's why you don't run away". Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, I told him "What do you mean by that? You are just like me, except you're a boy of course, and you're here with me, keeping me company. Doesn't that mean we're friends?". His head shot up after that, but after a few moments, he lowered his eyes and said "But I'm not like you, I...I have a monster inside me, sealed inside me. That's why people are scared...Scared to be near me and run away".

I didn't get it, but I felt sad for him because people were scared of him. Did he do something wrong?

"Even...even if you say you have a...monster, was it? Inside of you." At this point I got off the swing and stood in front of him, pointing my index finger at him. After his nod, I continued, "Did you ever do anything to hurt those people that were scared of you? Did you do anything to make them run away?". Thinking for a moment, he said no, so then I stated, "Then those people are just mean and rude! YOU didn't do anything to them, and a while back, YOU didn't hurt me, you SAVED me from being hurt. So they shouldn't...At least for me, I'm not scared of you okay Gaara-san? I'm not running away or something. Unless...you don't want me here?"

"N-NO! Stay..." Gaara Blushed slightly, turning his head to the side trying to cover his face. I giggled softly. "Okay then! So it's settled. We're officially friends, neh Gaara-kun?". Turning back around, he smiled at me. It was the first smile that came from him that day, it was filled with so much hope, affection, approval. Smiling back I reached to grab his hand, but was suddenly blocked by a wall of harden sand as if protecting him from an attack.

"Wha-" I didn't get to finish, because right away the sand fell back down, creating a small pile between us. Blinking rapidly, I looked at him...just...stared into his eyes, and then I saw it. _Panic. Fear._ "Did...did you do that?" He nodded once, and said in a rushed voice, "It's not really me. It's the monster inside of me. He's doing it. Bu-but it wasn't on purpose! It's just..It happens whenever something tries to get near me." Catching my gaze, he asked in a vulnerable voice, "But...I'll reach out to you...That way you won't get hurt if you reach out to me...Wou-would that be okay?".

I shrugged of the thought of what had happened seconds before and smiled. "Yup! Don't worry Gaara-kun I won't pull away. Just make sure you say my name before ok? Just so I know it's you". Happily complying, he got off the swing outstretched his hand towards me and before grasping it, "Sakura-chan. Let's go. It's getting late." Running back hand-in-hand, we laughed every now and then when one of us would tug the other, as if trying for a race of who would get back first. But the end result wouldn't matter- it didn't matter at all. Because at this new and uknown village, I found someone who would be my friend.

I found someone who didn't make fun of my forehead, or tried to bully me...hurt me. I found someone who would be by my side if I wanted someone to talk to. I found someone who would laugh with me when something funny happened, who would sneak downstairs with me to grab some midnight snack, who would let me cry and lean on if I was sad about something that happened, or already happened...and in return, he got the same thing, but more...much more.

* * *

As the months flew by, I noticed one night, on my 6th month stay, that something was wrong. And this was not a good thing if this 'feeling' got me to wake up in the middle of the night, probably past 2am. throwing the thin cover off my body, I crept out my room and softly opened Gaara's room. "Gaara-kun?.." I whispered. Getting no answer, I softly made my way over to his window, and opened it up, letting the dry, slightly warm wind rustle my hair. After it died down, I raised my head to look straight up, where I saw a pair of dangling feet over the top. "Gaara-kun?" I said loud enough for him to hear me. Hearing a rustle below my hears, I watched as he formed a little platform of sand, enough for me to crawl onto and lift me up towards him. Once at eye level, still on the mini platform, I whispered to him, "You okay Gaara-kun?". Lifting up my my arm, I opened my palm up if he wanted to rest his cheek against it. Reaching out, he grasp my hand and pressed his cheek, with a little more force than necessary.

I frowned as he let out a long sigh, as if he just got done with some inner turmoil upsetting his mind. "Is... is he giving you a headache?" Gaara simply nodded, slowly rubbing his cheek against my palm, savoring the contact.

"He keeps trying to mess with me. He...Shukaku is really annoying". Letting out a breathy and short, dry laugh, I simply replied, "He just doesn't want to tell you straight out he wants company. I'm sure he gets lonely too". Grumbling out a few words, Gaara continued to snuggle up to my open palm, rubbing my thumb every now and then on his face, trying to ease his ongoing headache.

Instantly tugging my body towards him, I let out a soft startled gasp, as a greater wall of sand shielded his entire backside, also blocking the unknown attacker's view of me, still hovering on the mini platform Gaara established. I heard a swift 'swoosh' and then some metal clanking** (A/N: this wasn't the word I was looking for...but I know it starts with a 'c'. It's the noise when two metal objects hit each other. Sorry if 'clanking' isn't the right term :\)** against each other. With a soft whisper, "Don't make a sound and stay here", Gaara lowered me so that I would hover in the distance between the window and edge.

"Why...why are you attacking me?" Gaara exclaimed loud enough for the attacker to hear him. I heard nothing from the unknown person, just a few rustling sounds and the sound of sand swooshing around. A few more moments and Gaara had enough, because then I heard, "Desert Sand Coffin!". Bringing my hands to cover my mouth, I gasped into my palms, quieting down my voice as much as possible so I wouldn't be heard. Silence flew by, and I started to worry, so I took one big gulp, and opened my mouth, "Gaara-kun? Are you okay? Are you hurt?". The mini platform rose higher and higher, until I was well over the edge and I hopped down onto the flat roof, to see a mask covered man, half his back slumped against the wall, a few blood trails leaking through his vest.

I bit my bottom lip as I looked away briefly. This reminded me too much of when my father died. So similar..._ so awfully similar._ Pushing away the thought, I scanned over Gaara's body, making sure he wasn't hurt in any way.

Nothing was wrong with him, but he was panting slightly. Forcing my eyes away from him and at his attacker, I made slow steps towards his figure. He was barely breathing by the time I was hovering over his injured form. But I couldn't help but be curious: he had on a piece of cloth over his face, acting like a mask. But what really got my curious...was his hair. It reminded me of someone...Someone that I knew, someone that Gaara knew...

Hesitantly, my little fingers tugged away his cloth, revealing himself to me, to Gaara, and to our utmost horrified realization, it was indeed someone we knew..."Ya-Yashimaru?" **(A/N:Sorry, again, if that's not the right name )**

Rushing forward, Gaara stood by my side, his eyes widening in horror. "Wh-...I...Yashimaru, you-...Why? Why?"

Ruefully smiling at us, he addressed to me, "Sakura-chan, you were not suppose to be here...It was only suppose to be Gaara-sama...I'm sorry you had to see this, Sakura-chan. You weren't part of the plan. You weren't suppose to get close to him...to that m-monster".He coughed violently, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. What did he mean? I wasn't suppose to get close to Gaara? I wasn't suppose to be friends with him? Why? Why would he say that?

"You said...you said you loved me, Yashimaru. Why? Why would you attack me if you said that?". I looked over as Gaara clutched the front of his shirt, right above where his heart was, beating rapidly, unable to comprehend the situation.

Breathing heavily, he turned towards Gaara's shaking form, staring back at him with his teary filled eyes, threatening to fall. "I love my sister, Gaara-sama. I loved her so much...But you, you took her away from me. You killed my sister. I'm sorry, but I lied to you Gaara-sama. Everytime I said I loved you, I lied, because I couldn't bring myself to love someone...to love a monster who killed my sister". Tears already falling down my face, my knees un bucked under me, making me kneel besides Yashimaru.

I could understand that Yashimaru felt sad for losing his sister, but it wasn't Gaara's fault for being born! He was a baby, and his mother...Yashimaru's sister died of giving birth. Holding my gaze for another second, I shifted my eyes to lock with Yashimaru, his eyes already losing life in them. I shook my head quickly, pink short-locks of hair flying everywhere, resting in an un-even pattern afterwards.

"How can you say that? What about his mother huh? You're just thinking so, so...it's so one-sided! Temari-chan said...that their mom was happy during the time Gaara wasn't born yet. She and Kankuro both said she was happy! That...that even after Gaara was born, before she di-... before she passed away that she loved Gaara with all her heart!." I was practically shouting at him at this point. Sobbing into my hands, I missed Yashimaru's shocked face, his bottom lip losing all muscle function to hang wide open, his eyes brows lifting as his eyes widened with the new information. "She said that?...I- I didn't...I should of..." he trailed off, never completing his train of thought out loud.

Hearing footsteps approaching, I looked up as Gaara stood next to me, sliding down to kneel beside Yashimaru. "She sa- Temari...and Kankuro said that? really?". Nodding once, he looked over Yashimaru's form again. "Yashimaru..." Said person shook his head, telling him to stop before going any further.

"No, Gaara-sama, you don't need to say anything. I'm sorry...I didn't stop to think about my sister, and I blindly put all my angry at you. I-I...It's won't stop here, you know that. He will send more, to get rid of you, Gaara-sama. I was sent by the Kazakage...By your father, to kill you...". Gaara's breathing started to get erratic, he couldn't take it, the pain, it was too much. It was hurting him, his pain, knowing that his own father had...had been ordering these people to get rid of him...to _kill_ him.

"Gaara-kun..." I whispered. Here I was, right next to him, and there wasn't anything I could do. There were no words of comfort from me, because I honestly couldn't form the words. I didn't know what it was like to have your own father try to ki-...to not have the ove of a father, as parent to his child.

"Sakura..." Hearing my name, I turned my head back at Yashimaru, before he let out his last breath of life. "Let him know...I don't hate him, not anymore. Make sure...he's lov-..okay..". I waited...nothing. That was it. He was gone, his body completely slumped against the wall, his fingers stopped twitching, his chest no longer heaved to get air...nothing.

"AHHHHH!". Startled, I looked back at Gaara, clutching his head between his palms, his fingers dinging into his scalp, drawing blood. I wouldn't have known if not for the trail that appeared in front of his forehead, slowly oozing down, nearing his left eye. "Gaara-kun! Stop it! I'm still here remember, It's me, Sakura-chan! Gaara-kun?" His sand shoved me aside before I could do anything. Soon his whole body was engulfed in his sand, whirling rapidly around his form, obscuring my view if he was going to hurt himself more. There was no time. If I didn't act fast Gaara will up doing something drastic, I know it. This was an emergency, so I had to use it, just enough to get him to stop and listen...I had to use my ability.

_STOP! STOP IT THIS INSTANT GAARA! STOP MOVING AND DROP YOUR SAND!_ Immediately after the directed thought towards Gaara, His sand stopped all movement, instantly dropping to the ground, surrounding his figure. His back was slightly hunched forward, his arms lay limb by his side, fingers twitching every now and then, his eyes...hollow. He showed no emotion on his face, as if it was a blank canvas. Holding onto my train of thought for a bit longer, I neared him, and fell silent as I saw the word he etched with his sand onto his forehead. It wasn't deep enough, but it would definitely leave a scar... the Kanji word 'Love'.

Slipping up on some of the power for him to regain some movement, but not enough for him to lash out if he decided, I softly said, "Love... both sides of it Gaara-kun? The good and bad?".

Yashimaru's... He loved his sister so much...So much that when he suddenly lost her, before she could live a full, complete life, it was taken away from her. Gaara took away his sisters' chance of a full life. Gaara took her away from him. But then Gaara's mother...Yashimaru's sister had told Temari and Kankuro that she loved Gaara. She loved him during the time she carried him, and she loved him even after, before she drew in her last breath. It didn't matter to her that she wouldn't live a full life, it didn't matter to her knowing that giving birth to Gaara would end her life...all that mattered to her, was Gaara. Why? Simply because...she loved him. She loved Gaara with all her heart. Yashimaru's love led him to be blind-sided, his love for his sister fueled his anger towards Gaara. But being hit with the realization, he didn't realize what he turned into from his love for his sister, not until he was seconds away from his death.

Yashimaru's love gave way to hatred, while his sister's love, Gaara's mother...his mother's love gave way to life.

* * *

Saying my farewell to Temari and Kankuro, I re-adjusted my pack before my eyes landed on Gaara.

We stayed silent as we gazed in each other's eyes. His eyes showed pain, struggle, sadness...but also hope, strive, and courage. He's been through alot, and although he doesn't talk as much, or laugh as much, smile as much...

Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes, stinging as my eyesight loss focus for a moment. I lifted my hand to swipe them away before more threatened to fall down. "Sakura-chan..." Gaara grasped my hand, stalling me long enough for a stray tear to glisten down my cheek. Letting my hand go, he raised his own hand, rested his palm against my cheek, and wiped away the trail with his thumb. Encircling my fingers around his wrist, I pressed his palm a bit more to my cheek, as I managed to choke out, "Do-don't forget me neh, Gaara-kun? Promise me?". I searched his eyes, looking for any indication that he understood what I said.

A brief smile graced his features. His lips tugging upwards just enough...just enough for me to see.

Taking a step back, his hand slipped away from my face, fingers trying to linger for a bit more. With a silent farewell and a quick wave to all of them, I turned around around, walking in the direction of the Fire country with the two ANBU at my sides, towards my home village, Konoha.

The second night as The ANBU outside went about doing whatever they were doing, I lay inside my tent, curling my knees into my chest in an effort to get comfortable, and let out a smile.

_Yes...even though brief words were exchanged, even though I would have liked to talk to him more before I left...Even though he doesn't open up as much, his smile said everything for me. He will stay strong. Even if he's sad, he will move forward. Knowing about my past, knowing EVERYTHING that has happened and how I turned it into something for me to become strong about, I'm sure Gaara will also use his to become strong...in his own way. I gave him strength to move forward, and he gave me strength to believe for something better...Something better for the both of us, whatever it is for him, me already knowing what I wanted to achieve. Yes...it was enough. _

_Our past, our connection, our similarity, our bond...it's our pillar of strength._

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TADA~~~!

not enough detail? too little detail?

Am I not making any sense? lol let me know please! any reviews will be helpful

and I'm assuming you guys realize by now I'm taking this story step-by-step. So I don't know if I'll do a time skip...hmmm

what do you readers think? I was thinking of doing one more chapter while she is young, about her and a certain Uchiha...Or should I just start with a time skip to where she becomes a genin?

Oh and there's also a little 'preview' on what her ability is...HAHA further detail will be in the later chapters

As well as a lemon...maybe more :P - also in later chapters.

P.S. Sorry if there are some grammatical errors, sometimes I accidentally hit the touch mouse on my laptop

R&R please :D


	3. The Mission

So sorry it took me so long! ''

Been busy with midterms and all.

Hopefully you aren't bored with this story just yet! It isn't even close to finishing :P

There are some parts where I don't fully explain in detail about the situation, I just imply it.

**AGES**

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura - 17

Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji - 17

Neji, Tenten, and Lee - 18

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino - 17

Their sensei's - 27

Enjoy!

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**The Mission  
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Thrust. Jab. Kick. Leaping up, I flew against the air's gravity, the rush of wind pushing my hair off and behind my head, only to have it swoosh forward as I twisted my body, snapping my arm to throw three Kunai's at the targets on the trunk. I outstretched my open palm to the incoming branch, pushing myself off once more, swinging my left leg out, imagining an enemy who would be there.

_More...I want more._

Punch. Spin. Stagger. Softly landing with the gracefulness and stealth of a feline, I thrust my clenched fist into the dirt beneath me, the slight chakra-infused punch leaving an elephant sized crater in its' aftermath along with a few cracks drifting off. Punching the ground I spun, rotating 180 degrees to my right, my knee coming into contact with another tree trunk, assuring that I hit an 'enemy'. The trunk snapped at the base from the impact, its' cracking sounds and rustling leaves signaling the end of its' life, falling towards the ground.

Leaping off again, I landed a few feet away, taking in the damage that I had caused to the area on the past few hours of training.

It wasn't enough. I wanted more. I wanted to do more damage. I wanted to completely demolish and obliterate the entire training grounds. I wanted to surround myself with the feeling of achievement, see the destruction done by my hands at my utmost potential, using all my energy and abilities.

Taking deep breaths to calm myself, I closed my eyes.

This wasn't the time to let it all out. No. I needed to save it. Save it for the person who deserved to take on my outward destruction, receive all the damage I was capable of doing.

Craning my neck to the side, I squinted into the distance, feeling someone's chakra signature approaching towards me. Knowing who it was, I relaxed my stance and waited until said person would pop out. We've been through a lot together, ever since we were young. Always competing against one another to see who would be at the top, sparring to see who was stronger than the other, completing mission after mission successfully and fluidly, with the occasional delay whenever a certain loudmouth tagged along, not that I'm complaining: I love him to death. He'll always be my caring, obnoxious, brave and determined teammate, close friend, and brother.

"Sakura, mission from the Hokage".

"Type?"

"Didn't say"

"Duration?"

"Undetermined"

Twitch."Destination?"

"There's a reason why she has scrolls, Taichou"

Letting out a displeased grumble, I didn't ask any further as he handed me the scroll. I wanted to vent out a little, but being called 'Taichou' was pleasing enough. It just proved that I came out on top in the end, though ever since then he reasoned it wasn't a competition since I was a 'female'. He always was, and still is a sore loser.

I couldn't blame him, he was always pressured by his father. Even though he had passed away a few years back when he was a Chunin, I a Jounin, every now and then he would see me as an obstacle to overcome. I would always remind him, that even though we were different ranks, he should learn not to let his father make decisions for him, rather he should voice out and determine what he wants for himself.

_'Sometimes,' he said, 'I don't know what I want'. Placing my hand on his shoulder, he turned to face me, looking in my eyes for some answer, some answer I would have for him. Giving a small smile, I reluctantly pointed out, 'Not everyone does, but eventually we all do. It just takes some time'. Lowering his eyes, he gave out a sigh before completely closing them and leaning his forehead against mine, a gesture he would only do whenever he felt defeated, seeking out some comfort to ease the displeasure. Closing my eyes I squeezed his shoulder lightly, before speaking again. 'It'll take a lot longer if you keep letting him get the best of you. Hell, even he gets on my nerves, and I rarely see him". My little stunt to lighten his mood worked, as he let out a short breathy chuckle. As a comfortable silence consumed the next several minutes, he quietly concluded, 'When I do, I'll let you know'. I didn't need to reply for him to know my answer. Instead I said, 'Let's not forget Naruto shall we? He'll be sour if his 'brother' didn't tell him as well'. At that we both chuckled.  
_

Inwardly shaking off that memory, I turned to him. "Come on Sasuke, we wouldn't want to pull a Kakashi on her now do we?" I let out a grin as he grumbled, making rapid hand seals, before we both disappeared, him in a burst of red flames, me in a burst of green mist.

* * *

"Mou what's taking them so long, Baa-chan? I want to know the miss- ack! Teme!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sasuke and I both appeared before Tsunade-sama. Unfortunately Naruto was too close and his back hand got a little burned. Cradling his hand with his other, he was about to spit out a long string of curse words and who knows what else, before I stepped up to him, took his hand and with a swipe of my index finger, the burn was gone. I gave him a look before turning my attention back to Tsunade-sama. Crossing his arms and letting out a huff, Naruto looked away from Sasuke and looked back at her.

Shaking her head, she spoke. "Now that you all are here, Sakura, seal the room please". There was only one other time she asked me to do such a thing, and that was when Jiraya-sama was here a few years back. Walking towards the wall, I performed the appropriate hand seals, before crouching down, skimming one hand on the wall, the other on the ground. Soon tendrils of light pink chakra spread and intertwined, creating a web around the room, before disappearing behind the walls. Raising her eyebrow, Tsunade-sama asked, "That's not the one you used last time. Sakura?" Shaking my head 'no', I told her, "That one wasn't full proof, so I used the one passed on from my clan instead". Nodding her head in approval, I took my place next to Sasuke again, our full attention on her.

She knew about my real identity, considering she was now the Hokage, and the Hokage knew EVERYTHING. The only reason why Naruto and Sasuke knew was because I told him, since they were like my brothers, and they deserved to know things about me just as I know things about them no one else does.

"A few hours ago Jiraya passed on important information, regarding the Akatsuki. His informant has gathered intel regarding the organizations' intentions. However, this caught the attention of their leader, and is now considered to be in danger. This is beyond an S-class mission, and I'm assigning you three and the rest of your Squad to carry this out. You are to bring back the informant, alive if possible". I noticed Sasuke went rigid, the one besides the rest who was most displeased about this outcome.

Tossing the scroll, I effortlessly grasp it, lowering my hand back to my side. "When do we leave, Shishou?" Taking her eyes off of Sasuke for a moment, she regarded to me, "Within the hour. Naruto, notify the rest of the squad. You all have a month to complete this. Sakura, send regular updates on your progress. Any longer time and I'm calling you back. Dismissed". Simultaneously relying with a clear 'Hai!", I removed the seal, and walked out the door, Naruto and Sasuke trailing behind me.

With a soft 'click' from the door, I told Naruto, "Meet at the gates. Tell the others to bring enough supplies and other necessities, but pack accordingly. We'll want to travel fast". Giving a curt nod, he grinned before dashing off, "See you guys later, Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme!"

Once he disappeared, I turned to Sasuke, noticing he was staring off into the distance, eyes unfocused. I softly placed my hand on his forearm, quietly saying, "We'll need to prepare as well, Sasuke". Nodding his head, he was about to take off before I tugged his arm, forcing him to stop movement and turn towards me. "This might seem the time to get..._him, _but it's not. There will be another, one that will be favored more in our hands, ok?"

His eyes softened for a moment, before they became hard, clear, and determined. "Don't worry. See you in an hour". With that he sprinted away.

I sighed, before transporting myself to my apartment, packing necessities as well.

I could understand his temptation, to get his revenge, but this wasn't the time for him, nor for myself, to take this as an excuse to carry out our own desires. We had a mission to do, and I'll be damned if either of us loose it. The only reason his father and over half the clan passed away was because of an epidemic, one that was incurable at the time. The disease was not contagious, but suspiciously it only effected those who lived inside the Uchiha district. Running a few tests, I determined the source was in the daily drinking water, running along all the main pipes of the households. By the time I prepared the antidote, it was already too late for those too far along into the disease, one of which was Sasuke's father. The council suspected that the intended target was Uchiha Fugaku, the leader of the clan. But whoever did this would not get all the pleasure. Uchiha Fugaku appeared to the outside world, the leader of the clan, when in fact, the wife, Uchiha Mikoto, Sasuke's mother, was the true leader, one who worked behind the scenes. Not that the murderer would know anyways.

A few days after curing the disease, I found the origins of the plants used to create such a slow, but lethal poison. One that was undetectable and tasteless, effectively disguising itself in drinking water. Traveling with ANBU as guards at the time, I wen to gather information on who was able to aquire the plants. Each said the suspected person was easily forgettable, and didn't seem out of place. Though only one observant individual said that while she was back home, she saw a man carrying a few of the poisons that I've described. Though far away she was sure he was wearing a black robe with red clouds.

I clenched my hands tightly, the pair shorts scrunching up in the process. How can so many say the person was easily forgettable. The Akatsuki are NEVER easily forgettable, especially their robes.

Inwardly fuming, I finished packing my necessities and took another look around my room. Content with how it was, I locked the door, and headed towards the gates. Leaping softly from rooftop to rooftop, I took time to relax my state of mind, considering I had a few minutes to spare until the others would arrive. I didn't want to start on this mission hot headed, I needed to think of strategies that would give us a better chance at succeeding this mission.

With the gates in my view, I already saw two others standing there: her long deep blue hair tied at the base of her neck tightly, stance relaxed but alert and hands clasped in front, twirling her thumbs. Her pupil-less, monotone and brilliant pearl-like eyes watching as I neared. Next to her stood a taller figure, half leaning on the side wall, his signature orange book gone, revealing his black masked face.

"Seems like you'll have to postpone your daily ritual reading, eh Kakashi?" I said as I landed in front of the two. He eyes formed a stretched upside down 'u', showing he gave a smile as he lifted his hand to wave it off.

"We all know what happened last time when you caught me with it, Sakura-chan. I'd prefer not to have a repeat". Chuckling, I turned to Hinata and greeted her. Lips spreading into a lovely smile, she greeted back. "The others should be here soon, Sakura-chan." Just as I nodded my head in agreement, the last three members landed next to Hinata: one lazily yawning, the other grinning, greeting Hinata and the last one next to Kakashi, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Alright Shikamaru, I'll need your help on making some strategies before we go". Gesturing him to crouch to the ground with me, he muttered a quiet 'troublesome' before he crouched next to me, his eyes showing no more signs of sleepiness.

Every now and then, Kakashi would point out some little flaws, which in fact could blow up into disasters on our part. With a little tweak here and there, we had about 5 strategies we would use. When the time comes we would decide then.

"First priority, we need to arrive there as quick as possible, without draining our energy. We'll need to conserve on the chances we'll run into the other Akatsuki members, which most likely will happen. Remember to hide your chakra, enough to conceal our presence. Hinata, you'll stay at the back, along with Naruto. Sasuke, Kakashi, you two will stay in the middle, in case an enemy pops out you two can split to the front and back. Shikamaru and I will lead. Let's get moving".

"Hai, Taichou!" they all chorused. Re-adjusting their standard ANBU gear, we all placed our masks in the rightful place, concealing our features.

Leaping off towards the woods, bear and fox stayed in the back, while hawk and lion were in front of them, both simultaneously leaping off each branch with no more than a soft, fleeting 'thud' sound. With owl by my side, we all looked ahead, mentally readying ourselves for the potential battle.

_No. There is no hesitation. I...we will succeed. We will ALL come back home. We are strong. We're the most sought after group. We are the only ones who can do this. We can do this...I can do this. I will not fail. For Tsunade-sama, for you guys... for myself. _

With determined eyes hidden beneath my dragon mask, I continued on. Destination: Akatsuki headquarters...Amegakure.


	4. Encounter

Hey guys!

Just so you know, I referred everyone to their ANBU mask animal, since you know, they can't reveal their real identity to anyone.

And so they can keep each other safe and all. Unless it's just Sakura thinking, or if I'm narrating.

This chapter shows more insight for Sakura's clan abilities. Or a part of what they are able to do anyways.

I know I wrote that only Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi knew about her abilities, but I'm lazy HA. Sooooo you can assume that all of her ninja friends - Chouji, Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Tenten, Lee, Neji- and her sensei, Kakashi, knows of her abilities.

_Sakura Inner thoughts_

_**Sakura Inner Voice**_

Enjoy! :]_**  
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**Encounter  


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**

Traveling at a fast pace for over a week and a half, we arrived at the borders of Amegakure. Feeling that the others were exhausted, I jumped down from the tree branch onto the mini clearing, enough for all of us, but in an area well secluded so enemies wouldn't easily spot us.

"Bear, scan the area within a 10 mile radius. Owl, go with bear and set the seals please. If you can Lion, bring back some wood. Hawk, we'll need some food. And you, fox, you're staying to help me set up. Dismissed". Each disappeared to do their assigned task, while fox started to clear the area of debris. Sighing, I started placing large stones in a circle, to contain the fire later when Lion would come back with the wood.

"Neh, Taichou, How long until we get there?" Fox asked. Tilting my head, I contemplated for a moment before replying, "If we continue with our pace, we'll be able to get in about three days time. But…" When I didn't continue, Fox stopped what he was doing and turned to face me, probably giving me a confused stare behind his mask. "We'll need to gather some information in order to find out where their hideout is, otherwise we'd be mindlessly searching and wasting time".

Fox just nodded, making a 'ah ha' sound, before he swatted down next to me.

I lifted my eyebrow, not that he could see. "What is it?"

"Eh…well, you know how we were still traveling when we were still in Fire country? Hi-, I mean bear and I were talking a little, and well, I was wondering…If you think I should maybe…or well maybe I should wait. Or I guess...well, you see...". I sighed irritably while he was scratching his head.

"Fox, I have no idea where you're trying to go with this. Start at the top, keep it simple and to the point alright?" Taking a few moments to recollect his thoughts, he said, "I was thinking of asking bear…to be my girlfriend. But I don't know if this is a good time, or if she even feels the same way. What do you think I should do, Taichou?"

My god, finally! And it only took…three to four years. I sweat dropped. He was, and still is, the dense and ignorant boy we all know and love. Letting out an airy chuckle, I regarded to him, "Fox, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, knows that bear has been liking you since our academy days. Everyone except…well, you. You've been keeping her waiting for so long now, don't keep her waiting baka". I playfully punched his forearm as I assumed that he had a shocked expression on his face.

After his initial shock, he let out a quiet laugh, filled with happiness and realization. Reaching over to grasps my hand, he squeezed lightly before thanking me. Nodding in return, he released me as we both went about to finish setting up.

About ten minutes later, everyone returned, one after the other, indicating they had no trouble with their tasks. Bear thanked hawk while he handed her his catches, taking a few thin twigs impaling the fish. Lion rearrange the branches in the stone circle before hawk did a few hand signs to light it. With the moderate sized flame lit, Bear stuck the twigs next to the fire, the fish hovering just above the flame, slowly cooking.

While our food continued to cook, I pulled out a blank scroll, and started scribbling a few things down. Satisfied with the information, I re raveled the scroll, doing some hand signs to summon my messenger. With a large puff, Souhen appeared.

His long, deep maroon hair tied in a high ponytail swayed as he laced his fingers together to stretch over his head. Giving out a little yawn, he opened his eyes and directed his gaze towards me, his lovely, but ruthless charcoal eyes softened as I gave him a little smile. Reaching forward, I swiped his long bangs away from his face, tucking them behind his ear. I was the only one who was allowed to touch him...or well, the only one he would allow touch him, since he condensed his form enough for me to feel him.

"Hime, how are you?" His deep, intoxicating voice filled the silent air, capturing the attention of the others, who looked at him with wonder. But Souhen's eyes never strayed from mine, not even to glance over. _What should I say?** Well,you don't want him to worry on top of his own problems you know.** I know, thanks. _"I've been well, Sou-kun. I need you to send this scroll back to Tsunade-sama".

His eyes slanted as his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you in danger?" Shaking my head, I told him, "No. Just a mission". Leaning closer, his eyes searched mine, deciding whether or not I would waver from my own words. I sighed lightly. He always knew when I was and wasn't lying.

Satisfied, he leaned back into his full height, my head coming just under his shoulders. Taking the scroll out of my palm, he adjusted his silver armor. His long sleeved black shirt sliding down a bit, revealing his deathly pale white skin.

"Be safe" I quietly stated. His only response was a chuckle. Raising his hand and resting it on top of my head, he ruffled my hair.

"I'm a ghost Hime. There is no need to worry". With that his form faded, sinking into the ground.

_That's right, he won't be able to get hurt.** Well no shit Sakura. But you always worry, that's just how you are.** Oh shut it Inner. _

_"_Errr...Taichou? Who was that?" I turned my head to look at Bear, her form in a nervous stance. "He was my summon, bear. Now let's just some rest. Hawk, think you can take the first shift?" I didn't explain anymore to her than what was necessary. With a grunt, he leaped away on the upper branch above our group, as owl and lion separated to their desired resting area near the tugged on bear's sleeve, guiding her in the direction where he wanted to rest with her._ Hmm...maybe he'll ask her?** Who knows. Let's get some sleep.**_

Agreeing, I settled myself on the opposite end of fox and bear, near lion. Getting into a comfortable position, I closed my eyes, breathing in the slightly cold air, filling my lungs with nature's scent.

"There are others like him aren't there, Taichou?" Lion whispered. Sighing, I shifted again, before settling down, my form facing him. "Yes. But you know I don't have the power to give them peace. It's not my decision to make. Their fate has already been sealed, Lion".

Each and every one of them made choices that had them end up where they are now. Not in this life, nor in the afterlife. They can't repent for their sins, nor do they choose to justify them. Souhen is one of many that has accepted his fate, but I can still see the sadness...the loneliness...the inability to have his peace.

_**The only thing we can give to Souhen...to any of them, is our company and acceptance.** To know that we're here for them, no matter what._ I added on. Feeling drowsy, I fell into a light sleep, still keeping alert to my surroundings.

* * *

Slowly opening my eyes, I shifted into a sitting position, outstretching my arms above my head. With a few pops, I arched my back, twisting sideways until I was satisfied with a 'crack' sound. Looking up, I noticed it was still in the early hours of the morning, the sun barely peeking through the forest.

As I stood up, I looked around noticing that Hinata laid her head to rest on Naruto's shoulder, their hands laced together, resting in Hinata's lap. Guess that means she accepted. Before I could take a step towards the new couple, Naruto shifted his mask at me, raising his unoccupied hand to make a 'shh' sound, indicating he wanted to stay that way for a little while longer. Stopping, I lifted my hand next to my face, curving my thumb to touch my index finger, making an 'ok' sign. With that, I silently leaped up, standing next to the seated Kakashi, the last one who took the shift. Following his gaze, I saw a small nest of blue birds, chirping. I watched as the two grown ones hovered just above, the little ones attempting to take their first flight.

My eyes softened a bit, as one stumbled and scooted away from the two larger ones, as if ashamed at its' failed attempt. With a little nudge from one of the larger birds, the little one made the attempt again. With a lot of stumbling, it finally took flight, swooping around the larger one that nudged it earlier, eagerly trying to fly outwards, to the new world. As they all flew away, I felt a shift on the branch. Looking over past Kakashi, his head also turned to look at the tree trunk, its' surface manifesting itself in the shape of a head. Colors faded in and out, before Souhens' head surfaced, his charcoal eyes regarding Kakashi for a bit, before gazing in my direction.

"Hime, I successfully delivered your scroll".

"Thank you, Sou-kun". He nodded before I placed my hands together to dismiss him. With a sudden gust of wind, he was gone.

With another set of hand seals, I outstretched my hand up towards the trunk, fingers outstretched until there was a small puff sound. There before me sat a little girl. Her thick straps crossed at her back, creating an 'X' shape. the blood red dress flared at her hips, the lace edges fluttering. Her metallic hair was woven into two braids, each end tied with a red ribbon. I watched as she lifted a delicate eyebrow, her light yellow eyes wary of Kakashi's presence. Kakashi pretended to pay no attention, never taking his eyes off the birds' nest in the distance.

"Shiri-chan".

Snapping her eyes back at me, she let out a wide grin before standing up to jump at me. I let out an 'oof' as I caught her, her little arms encircling my neck, giggling.

"Hiimmeeeeeee!" She squealed as I jumped down onto the ground, scolding her before trying to tug her off of me.

"Shiri-chan. I need you to find some people. Think you can do it?" She tilted her head, raising her index finger to tap against her chin, before letting out a feral grin.

"Will I get to have some fun? Oh please, Hime! It's been so long since I've been able to spill some blo-"

"Shiri!" I placed my hands on her shoulders, stilling her. She crossed her arms and pouted in return. I sighed before speaking again. "You need to find some people wearing black robes adorned with red clouds. If you can find them, I MIGHT consider letting you...have your fun. Deal?"

She pursed her lips, turning her head to the side, 'hmph'ing. After a short silence, she outstretched her hand to grasp mine, shaking furiously. "Hai!"

I nodded in approval, raising my other hand to pat the top of her head. "They're somewhere in Amegakure. You have three days, Shiri-chan. Better start now".

She gave a cocky smirk, before disappearing in the gust of wind that purposely blew.

Hearing a thump beside me, I turned to Kakashi, raising an eyebrow at his questioning gaze. "You sure that's enough time for her?"

I placed my hands on my hip, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It took all of us over a week to get where we are now" I gestured around me. "It only took Sou-kun overnight to go deliver my scroll to Hokage-sama and travel back". He scratched the back of his head.

"Three days is plenty of time for that girl... probably too much time. Besides, if there's anyone who can find places that aren't meant to be found, it's her". Signaling him to follow me back towards our camp, we split to repack our belongings. Soon as we were all packed and ate some of my soldier pills (mind you, I HAVE made it so that it tasted much better; Fruity in fact), we took off again, being extremely alert, since we entered enemy territory.

_Let's hope Shiri-chan finds them fast. I don't want to stay here any longer than necessary.** Has she ever failed you before? **Well...no.** There you go! Don't stress Sakura, geez. You're giving me- yourself a headache.**_ I rolled my eyes before refocusing on my surroundings.

* * *

Startled, I hastily jumped down to the branch nearby, quickly signaling the others to do the same. _What was that? Inner, did you feel that?** Yeah...It came out of nowhere. We should of sensed it!**_ I cursed mentally, not liking the situation we were in.

The others got into their fighting stance, ready for any incoming attacks, while I just stood stiff before relaxing my stance.

Honestly, this happens every single time. I know it's on purpose, and it's just meant to be funny or whatever, but seriously I have enough going on my head. I so do not need her attitude attributed into this mission.

Crossing my arms, I started tapping my foot impatiently. Puzzled, the others lowered their kunais, wondering wh_y _I was acting like this. Suddenly, a small figure zoomed past Hinata and Sasuke's side, scaring the shit out of Hinata, since she jumped away, raising her kunai once again, while Sasuke shifted away and got into his fighting stance.

Outstretched arms tried to grasp me as the figure got nearer. "HIIIMMMEE-kyah!" I side-stepped to avoid being collided with the little devil, satisfied to hear a very audible bang against the trunk.

"Geez Hime! Why did you have to do thatttt" Shiri whined, rubbing her forehead (though I know she doesn't feel a thing).

Shaking my head, I turned to her, waiting for her whining and pouting to be done. I raised an eyebrow in question. "Well?"

With her hands covering her face, I couldn't see or tell what her expression was. Lowering her hands away from her eyes, she had some sort of gleam, one filled with mischief, malice, and excitement.

"I found it~" She sang out, rocking side-to-side lightly. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, plastering on a satisfied smile. Thankfully it only took two out of three days for her. Cracking my knuckles, I turned to smirk at her.

"Lead the way, Shiri-chan". She smirked in return before standing up, taking off in the direction she came. We took off to follow her, closing in on her figure, only because she purposely slowed down to our pace.

_Damn ghosts and their freaking inhuman speed._ Inner just snickered quietly in return. While following her, she filled me in on other information.

Apparently, there were six out of ten members at the hideout, which Shiri found was located deep under a waterfall. Not liking this one bit, I bit my bottom lip in apprehension.

"We'll figure it out when we get there. Fox, mask your chakra a bit more, you're letting out a bit too much". Nodding, I felt him shift his chakra for a few seconds before nodding my head in approval. "Bear, you need to let out a little more". I waited until I felt her leak just enough out, again, nodding in approval.

Taking off again, we reached the bottom of the waterfall, its' downpour creating a light mist at the base. Squinting my eyes, I watched as Shiri-chan pointed at the large boulder just behind the downpour, blocking the entrance.

"Taichou, orders?" Owl asked. I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to think of a way to break in without causing a ruckus.

**_Just punch the damn thing to crumbles!_**_ Inner, that WILL cause a ruckus. We want to this to work in our favor as much as possible.** If there's no other way, then I don't see any other option.**_ I rubbed my temples, before an idea struck me. Turning to Shiri-chan who was at my side, she also looked up at me, clearly wearing the same expression. She nodded, performing hand seals. With the last sign, she clasped her hands together, her pinkies and index fingers pushed up while the rest laced together. With a light hazel glow, she outstretched her palm towards me. Gesturing the others to come next to me, I took Shiri's hand into mine.

"Take hold of my hand guys, we're going in". Sasuke was first to step up and take my unoccupied hand, then Hinata who took Sasuke's hand, Naruto, Kakashi, and lastly Shikamaru. As Shiri reached the rock wall, her hand completely fazed through until it looked like she didn't have a hand at all. When her whole figure went through, mine followed, as well as everybody else's. It felt weird, no matter how many times I've done this. I literally felt my body become hollow, as if I didn't have anything inside or outside of me, besides the lining of my body. With the last faze through a thick wall of stone, Shiri let go of my hand when Shikamaru finally came through. With the break, I felt my body solidify again.

My mind was completely blank before I was bombarded with the mass amounts of chakra that was in front of me. I, as the rest of the others, shifted into our fighting stance, taking in the figures before us.

On the very left stood Hidan, his scythe slugged on his shoulder, his lips raised in a sneer. Next to him stood Kakuzu, his green eyes steady on our figures. Kisame stood beside Kakuzu, tilting his head to the right, narrowing his eyes at me. Then there was a shorter, but bulky figure on all four limbs, swinging his wooden tail in the air. Lastly at the very right stood a tall figure, their long blonde hair covering one of their eyes, a hand holding a kunai dried with blood at the tip close to the hodded figure's neck beside her.

"What the fuck! How the hell did you fucking people get in here?" Hidan exclaimed, raising his voice as he went on. The man beside him shook his head. "Hidan, shut up". Hidan 'tch' before saying, "I talk when I fucking want to, Kakuzu".

I ignored their little bickering, keeping my eyes straight at the man/woman, who narrowed his/her eyes in return.

"What's this, yeah? You're petty back-up, traitor? You know none of them will get out here alive, yeah". Clearly, it was a man, his slightly deep tenor voice filling my ears. I just raised an eyebrow in return. "We'll see about that. If you didn't open your mouth, I would of positively think you were a woman, you know. Such long hair..." I trailed off, satisfied that he growled at me, clearly not finding any humor in my words.

"Deidara, stop it" The hunched figure told him, his dark deep voice boomed out. Was it me or did I hear some wood cracking while he spoke?

"Tch, don't tell me your intimidated, Sasori-dana, yeah". a 'hmph' was a reply. I shifted my eyes towards him, my eyes turning cold when I caught sight of the end of his tail, drenched in some sort of purple liquid. _Is that...poison?_ Widening my eyes behind my mask, I pointed a finger at him.

"You...you were the one who placed the poison in the drinking water, didn't you? You were the one who poisoned over half the Uchiha clan!" I clenched my fist tightly as he let out a dark chuckle.

"Too bad it didn't wipe out the entire clan. Not my best display of work I must say". I felt a sudden flare of chakra. I turned to look at Sasuke, his eyes shifting into Sharingan. Before he could leap off, I placed my hand on his shoulder, squeezing until he flinched.

Fed up with the tension, Kisame swung his bandaged sword in front of him, shouting, "Enough! Let's get this over with!" Leaping forward, he aimed his sword to swing at me, only to be blocked by Shiri.

Turning her head to side glance at me, she asked "Hime, can I?". I let out a wide feral smile, before replying, "To your hearts' content, Shiri-chan".

Letting out a giggle, she pushed Kisame back, and as he staggered to keep his balance, she disappeared only to reappear behind him, thrusting a kick to his side. Flying towards the wall with a crash, he rubbed his head, narrowing his eyes at Shiri. "What the hell? You're a little girl for god's sake!". He let out a growl when his next swing was blocked again, by her palm. "Oh? Guess that just means you're getting your butt whipped by a little girl. How sad" Shiri taunted. Suddenly he jumped up, swinging again at Shiri-chan's head. When it was about to make contact with her neck, it all but passed through her, her neck blurring for a second, before becoming clear again.

"What. The. Hell?" Widening his eyes, he took a few steps back, unable to comprehend why his sword just went through her figure. Not giving him time to recover, Shiri did four hand signs, extending her index and middle finger out at Kisame, raising it to her lips, and blew. A narrow stream of condensed water shot straight at kisame's chest, forcing him to collide painfully at the wall again.

As Kisame annd Shiri-chan's fight broke out, so did the rest of us. Soon it was Naruto and Kakashi vs. Kakuzu, Shikamaru and Hinata vs. Hidan, Sasuke vs. Sasori, which left me to fight off Deidara, the shemale.

Suddenly a large clay bird puffed out of his hand, which he jumped on dragging the hooded figure and it flew up, creating further distance between us.

While he stuffed his hand into a pouch strapped to his side, he wore a cocky smirk, clearing thinking I was at a disadvantage...how wrong I would prove him.

With rapid hand signs, I softly said, " Katon Karyuu Endan". Taking a large intake of air, I blew out towards his clay bird, flames erupting from the tip of my lips, siwlring until it formed a large fire dragon. With a loud roar, It opened its' mouth at Deidara, its' body twirling.

Taken by surprise, he tugged on the bird harshly, steering it to move out of the way.

He cursed loudly when half of one wing was ripped off, leaving burnt marks on the edges of the remaining wing. Placing his hands together, several miniature birds appeared, immediately flying towards me. Reacting fast, I leaped away form my previous spot, only to realize that these birds also moved in the direction I moved.

"Shit!" Thinking quickly, I landed steady on my feet, spinning rapidly while forcing some of my chakra out of my body. "Hakke Shou Kaiten!". While spinning I outstretched my arms, creating a bigger semi-circle of chakra. As soon as one of the birds made contact to my chakra barrier, it exploded, only to increase in size as the rest of the birds came in contact. I clenched my teeth, trying to maintain my spinning until the explosion subsided.

In the distance, I heard his voice boom out. "Art is a bang, yeah!".

My mind wondered for the few seconds that I was spinning, hearing Kakashi's Chidori chirping loudly, alongside Naruto's screeching wind Shuriken, Hinata's yell as Hidan's loud outcry followed, Sasuke's yell of ' Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!'. I held onto my confidence, even when we faced the most dangerous S-class criminals, who are, in fact, part of the criminal organization: Ataksuki. Should I cower from just the facts? Should I be scared? Fuck no. I, as the rest of us, are in ANBU dammit, the best, most wanted in the bingo book group of people that Konoha has. No one out ranks us, no one doubts our abilities or achievements...no one will beat us. We WILL succeed.

_I'll have to thank Neji when I get back._ Soon as there were no more explosions around me, I halted in my steps, my eyes fixated at Deidara's form on the ground, a safe distance away from the hooded figure's injured form.

_Good._ I smirked as I took no extra time to perform another set of hand seals, yelling out "Ninpou; Kumoshi Bari!". Tendrils of my chakra burst outwards, weaving and connecting until it formed into a web.

Deidara thinking there was no attack at all, was forced backwards, crashing into the wall. He grunted loudly, feeling an odd sensation wrapping tightly around his neck and torso. When there was a loud impact, he found that his hands and feet were spread apart, away from his pouch to avoid any further attacks. He struggled furiously, cursing and tugging on the chakra web harshly.

As his body hit the wall, I immediately ran to the hooded figures' side, catching a glimpse of his Konoha headband, clearly evident that this was in fact Jiraya's informant. Hastily I placed my index and middle finger to his throat, searching for a pulse. I scanned his body quickly, but somewhat thoroughly. The collar of his shirt ripped, revealing a large gash dangerously near his heart, long deep cuts running along his robe, revealing equally long gashes, a broken leg, and a few broken fingers.

Even though I've seen worst than the injuries he obtained, it didn't mean that he was in any less danger. I released some chakra to my fingers, increasing the sensitivity to desperately find a pulse.

_There!_ It was faint and erratic, but a pulse is a pulse. Placing my palm to hover above his chest, I pumped more chakra, sending it into his body to heal while numbing the area.

Shiri fazed up through the ground, humming lightly while I worked. Taking a glance, her arms and part of her neck was smeared in blood, some dripping off to form a small puddle on the ground.

I didn't need to turn my head to figure out what happened to Kisame...or what was left of him. I quirked an eyebrow at her. "I see you enjoyed yourself, Shiri-chan". She all but smiled maliciously, drumming her fingers against the dirt.

I assume, and I'm quite confident with this thought, that this is ONE of the reasons why she is a ghost.

Soon the large gash was replaced by newly formed skin, slightly pink due to it's sensitivity. Satisfied that his pulse was more stable signaling that he was no longer in critical danger, I took out a few soldier pills from my pouch, crushing it into tiny pieces in my palm. Tilting his head, I pried his lips to open to gently shove in the pieces.

I turned my attention to Shiri. "Guard him. And no, you cannot 'enjoy' yourself with this one, got it Shiri-chan?". She shot me an annoyed glare, wanting to dispute. I leaned in closer until I was face-to-face with her, pulled my mask to the side, to show a spine-chilling, sinister smile that formed on my lips.

"I don't need to tell you what would happen if you don't listen, _Shi-ri-chan_". I pronounced each syllable slowly, my voice going down an octave at each one. She gulped audibly, before giving a shaky nod.

With that, I leaned back and stood, placed my mask back on and made my way to Deidara, who was still attempting to pry himself free. I chuckled darkly, clearly enjoying his aggravation. I ignored his insults and shouts at me as I checked to make sure there was nothing he could do to escape anytime soon.

"You fucking bitch! I'll kill you for this, yeah! You better-" I cut him off by punching his head to the side, rendering him unconscious for, I'd say...a few hours.

The ground shook suddenly, throwing off my balance. Once it stopped, I turned to scan the area, only to relax a little as Shikamaru stood in front of a large gaping hole from the ground, filled with little and big rubble to close it up. He wiped his cheeck with his knuckles, smearing away the blood. Turning, he caught my gaze before raising his hand to form a thumbs up.

The grin I wore behind my mask only widened more as I saw Kakuzu's form face-down in the dirt, no longer moving as well as Sasori's form, which changed into a puppet-like body, chipped and broken, his head hung down , purple blood dripping from the Kanji sign that was on his chest.

Considering the state we were all in, I decided that this was enough for now, since our mission was still to bring back Jiraya's informant, alive.

"Everyone! Fall back!" I shouted, running over to Shiri (who in fact was being an awfully good girl) and the injured, but stable hooded figure. One-by-one everyone appeared quickly by my side. Rapidly forming several seals, which everyone recognized as they all placed their hands on my shoulders, some on top of the other, before I made my last seal. With that, a large burst of chakra engulfed our bodies, before we all disappeared from the site...completely.

* * *

(Deidara's P.O.V)

Groggily I opened my eyes, my mind fuzzy, trying to make out where I was. I wanted to raise my hand to rub my head, only to realize I was still securely trapped against the wall, though the web did weaken drastically. With another harsh tug, I ripped apart the web that held me, slowly freeing myself.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, I took in my surroundings, only to find that those damn Konoha ANBU were long gone, and my partner...dead.

Hidan...nowhere I could see, so I assumed he was dead.

Kakuzu...dead.

Kisame...Clearly dead.

I clenched my fists tightly, white knuckles apparent. _Fuck...Fuck Fuck FUCK_. I thought harshly. Leader will not be pleased, NOT pleased at all.

How the HELL did those...those assholes beat the shit out of us? Us. Akatsuki. The world's strongest S-class criminals, dammit!

I cursed loudly, trying to let out my frustration and anger. It didn't help. There was nothing that could be done now.

I formed some clay dogs to sniff out Hidan, while I collected the other members' rings. As I made my way to what was left of Kisame's body, one of my clay dogs' barked. Turning my head in the direction of the bark, I watched them dig up the hole, before one shoved his head down and raised it back up, Hidans' ring in its' mouth. It ran over as I squatted down, opening my palm for it to drop into.

I sighed heavily, before standing back up again, making my way to Kisame.A few minutes searching, and I narrowed my eyes.

Where the hell is his ring? Don't tell me...

"That fucking bitch, yeah!" I exclaimed, clearly not liking my situation.

* * *

(Back to Sakura's P.O.V)

I panted heavily, depleting the majority of my chakra reserves on that teleportation. Kakashi patted my back.

"Well done, Taichou. We're safe now that we're in Fire country". I let out a tired laugh as Naruto pumped a fist into the air, shortly plopping down on the ground next to me, breathing heavily.

I shook my head briefly. "We're not done yet guys. Need to set up camp for tonight". Everyone nodded tiredly, but still set out to form camp.

Considering his condition, Kakashi was still able to form a decent sized hut, enough to fit in all of us. Once I checked everyone thoroughly for any signs of injuries, I started to heal the informant's broken leg, grateful for Hinata's help as she healed the gashes running along his arms. With the adrenaline gone, it was clear this healing session would last a lot longer.

Soon Naruto and Sasuke came back with wood and food, Shikamaru from performing a few protective seals around.

As Kakashi lit the wood and cooked the freshly caught fish, Naruto scooted closer to my form, his tired but clear voice ringing out.

"Ano-sa I was wondering...who is this guy? Jiraya's informant?". Although his face was still hidden beneath his large hood, his Konoha headband shone out from the flames' light, settling the other's feelings a bit knowing he was one of us.

While Hinata was healing the last few gashes, I lifted my hand to grasp the edge of his hood, tugging it off.

Hinata covered her mouth with her unoccupied hand.

Naruto's mouth hung open.

Shikamaru gave a shocked and confused gaze.

Sasuke and Kakashis' eyes widen.

My form stiffened, blinking rapidly.

"...Itachi?"

* * *

TADA! :]

hopefully this isn't too confusing, as I rushed into it, with the time skips and all, but I didn't want to go into too much detail and the the idea of writing a 'waiting period' didn't sound pleasing for me to right.

And I didn't want to bore you guys, so yeah, ha.

I'll probably have the next chapter up in...a week? Hopefully less.

But don't take my word for it. I got finals, an essay, and a project to work on, since it's nearing the end of my quarter.

R & R please! :D


	5. The Decision

Hey guys! New chapter up!

and yes...it took a LONG while, but nevertheless it is still up and for you guys to enjoy the read :]

* * *

**The Decision**

* * *

What. The. Fuck.

Narrowing my eyes, I cast my eyes down at my patient, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Moving onto his heart, I sighed quietly. I would have stabilized him sooner if it wasn't for that damn disease he had. Thankfully the hard part was over. Now all I had to do was fix his eyes.

Scratch that, what the hell is he doing ALIVE to begin with?

I turned my head to the wall, the hunched form on the chair clearly in turmoil with this new development in his life. He wasn't angry, nor was he particularly thrilled. Just…confused. Mikoto has a lot of explaining to do.

Re-focusing on the task at hand, I hovered my palm above his eyes, sending threads of chakra throughout his eyes to evaluate the damage. I fought the urge to gasp. The nerves, the connections, the cornea…all deteriorated, and still progressing!

Acting fast I pumped more chakra carefully surrounding his eyes, preventing further damage to his eyes. Sweat started to accumulate on my forehead, my entire concentration and focus on Itachi. Sasuke was at my side, lending his chakra, as he felt the sudden flare of chakra. He knew what was up, and this time, worry was clearly written on his face.

Eyes of the clan were most prized and precious. It's the single most advantage and distinction that enables the Uchiha clan to excel the average class of ninjas. Silently thanking him, I channeled his chakra to mix with mine, enhancing the capability and success of my work in progress. First I had to work on the nerves, re-establishing the channels and connections to the eyes.

Once established, I moved onto constructing his cells, forcefully multiplying the process to increase the flow of cells, enough to begin the process on its' own.

I furrowed my eyebrows in irritation. "Sasuke, the seal" I softly whispered. Feeling the shift of his hand from mine to his brothers' eyes, he shifted his chakra, redirecting the flow to focus on the cords connecting the eyes to the brain.

All users had a special clan seal. This was to ensure that the eyes of any Uchiha would never end up in the enemies hands. The only way to establish or release the seal was the use of another Uchiha's chakra. But not just anyone would do, it had to be the chakra closest to the party. In this case, Sasuke was the closest person to Itachi, so with a tug, the seal broke, and I resumed healing and mending his eyes.

Working at a cellular level for hours was no easy job, so when I did everything in my power at that moment to heal him, I collapsed against Sasuke's side, thankful to have him supporting my dead weight.

"With a few more treatments, and some rehabilitation, he'll be good as new" I murmured. I felt a squeeze on my shoulder, and tilted my head up. Blinking my eyes, my voice was lost as I saw, for the second time in my life, his eyes brimming with tears. Caught by the emotions, I sank with him on the white tiled floor, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, rubbing his back in a soothing manner. Sasuke shoved his face into my neck, the tears freely flowing. His arms shook as he circled my waist, unable to utter a word.

We stayed like this for some time, just embracing. I forgot what it was like to see Sasuke so emotional. Going from one mission to the next, working on S-class or A-class missions, and constantly on alert never gave time to show or feel anything else.

If it weren't for the sliding of the hospital door, Sasuke and I would of stayed on the floor like this until morning. I didn't need to look up to see who entered. All I did was shift my gaze towards the hospital bed, and there I saw Mikoto. If it weren't for my trained eyes or my extent knowledge, I would of never been able to see her slightly trembling.

I tugged on Sasuke, and together, we rose.

Silently moving forward until we were all shoulder to shoulder, I regarded her quietly before whispering, "He's fine, Mikoto-san. He'll be alright". I placed my palm gently on her shoulder, giving a small squeeze of reassurance. As she shifted her gaze, I watched as she, along with Sasuke earlier, had tears brimming in her eyes, threatening to fall.

"...Okaa-san". She turned her to to look at her other side, tilting her head to meet eyes with her youngest son. Suddenly she threw her arms around his shoulders, squeezing the life out of him, tears freely streaming down. Almost immediately he returned her embrace, consoling her to calm down.

Several minutes passed and no one uttered a single word. There was no need to at this point, because all that mattered now was that Mikoto had her son back and Sasuke had his brother back.

Leaving them in their thoughts, my eyes shifted back to Itachi.

.

.

He stared right back.

While Sasuke and Mikoto were still in their moment, I stood, shocked that he would already be conscious with what his body went through.

...

...

"..Morning". The sound of heads whipping around wasn't enough to break my gaze with Itachi...and apparently it didn't effect him.

He anticipated a sudden weight forcing the air out of him.

Struggling to maintain his upright sitting position, he returned the embrace lightly.

Nothing but the faint sounds of sobbing echoed around the room. Sasuke stood by the side, eyes downcast as he sat on the bed.

I opened my mouth to voice my leave, but I decided to just quietly slip out the door. Snapping the sliding door shut, I let out a heavy, but relived sigh.

_Mom...Dad, you'd be so proud of me!_ I inwardly proclaimed.

* * *

It took several days for the situation to settle in. None of the civilians knew anything that was going on. But within the ninja class, it spread like wildfire. Uhicha Itachi, Presumably thought to be dead due to poison, was alive and well, resting in a secure location near the hospital.

It took over half of the ANBU rank to prevent the entire clan from bombarding the place, risking suspicion from every single person who lived in the village.

"What do you think Tsunade-sama is going to do?".

I lowered the hot tea down to the table, shaking my head.

"I'm more worried about what the council will do to him" I said quietly.

Yes, Mikoto was very happy, thrilled to have her son back, but it also raised suspicion on Itachi's behalf.

* * *

When someone suspected that he was the one to poison his own clansmen, I fiercely spat out to that councilman " I have given a fully detailed report on the poison compounds, the poison origins, and who was responsible. Even if I didn't know who it was, which clearly I DO know, Uchiha-san here would not have the time or the means to create and distribute the poison without raising suspicion from his own family or those who live around him".

Without thinking, he angrily replied, "What makes you qualified to think you're findings cannot be refutable? You were but a child then! Do not speak to me with such disrespect Haruno!"

Before anyone could put a word in, I slammed my hands on the table, jolting some of the screws off the legs creating a tilted table leaning in my direction.

"It seems that YOU, councilman, have forgotten where I achieved my knowledge, status and skills from. To doubt my reports, my knowledge, my skills, my achievements, my MEDICAL abilities as well as my ninja status"

I huffed angrily before continuing. "..You are doubting the choices and decisions made from Tsunade-sama herself. And don't YOU forget that I am also part of the council. I am free to respect or disrespect those who doubt me, and ultimately, the Hokage".

Before he got a word out, said Hokage raised from her seat eyes focused. "Do you doubt my ways, councilman?"

Nobody spoke or moved for several seconds. I literally felt the waves of hesitation emitted from said councilman as he struggled to regain his composure.

"N-no, Tsunade-him-"

"Do not forget I AM the leader of this village, and you will address me as such". I smirked.

"Ye-yes, of course Hokage-sama. My apologies" He weakly finished.

"Now then, let's continue to more important and relevant matters, shall we?" Tsunade-sama smiled professionally.

A lazy smile from one and an amused eye crinkle from the other were thrown in my direction.

* * *

It's been several days after that incident, and more IMPORTANT issues were addressed, solved and disputed, since then.

Now it was up to the Hokage, and a few chosen councilman to decide the outcome of Itachi.

Mikoto and I sat comfortably at the kitchen table, trying to pass time with some small talk. We continued as Sasuke walked in and seated himself by my side, taking the forgotten cup of tea and downing it.

Every now and then Sasuke would pitch in a few words.

After some hours passed, I excused myself, proclaiming that I had other matters to attend to. I bid farewell to both, hugging Mikoto and patting Sasuke before departing.

A few rooftops later, I landed in front of the entrance to the underground passage behind the hospital. I nodded to Genma as he stepped aside.

The onlynoise were the eerie sounds of metal clanking and tweaking, and the sound of my sandals.

No groans were heard, because none of the prisoners had any energy left for that.

No yells or screams were piercing into the air, since their voices were exhausted in the interrogation roon with Morino Ibiki.

No sounds of struggling with chains; they wouldn't be able to get that far away.

And here I was, standing in front of a specfic cell, having a staring contest with Uchiha Itachi. What really caught me off guard was how...intact he was. Not a scratch on him, save for the dried blood of his own the night he was brought into Konoha.

Before I had a chance to ask, Gemna came rushing to my side, kneeling as soon as he was in front of me. I raised my eyebrow before tilting my head for him to speak.

"The decision is nearing its' conclusion. Hokage-sama would like you to be there".

"Alright". With that he left, as did I.

Pausing on my first step, I turned my head back to Itachi, seeing the slight amusement in his eyes.

I smirked, "Welcome home, Uchiha-san".

* * *

**Itachi's POV:**

I widened my eyes a fraction of a millimeter as I watched her disappear in a furry of green mist. Odd, that girl was, smirking at me like she knew the outcome of my fate.

It didn't matter much anyways, since her squad annihilated everyone back in the cave besides Deidara. That stupid bomb blond.

I narrowed my eyes.

...Did she just call me Uchiha-san?

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* * *

Yeah sorry this chapter is short!

And I know it took way WAY longer to upload this, and it's because I've been busy.

I know that's lame, but it's the truth, but it doesn't excuse me for making you guys wait for so long.

Anyways, I hope you like this!

R&R please


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